Expert guide to the best things to do in Mexico City with kids
Mexico City is one of the most vibrant, exciting and wonderful places in the world. It’s my kids’ favourite city and has been since their first trip there when they were little.
I’m excited to help you plan your family vacation here. With its world-class museums, incredible, culture, enormous parks, delicious cuisine, Mexico City is a perfect destination for a trip with kids, in fact, it’s truly a perfect destination for the whole family.
When visiting a vibrant city like Mexico City, planning is your friend. If you follow the suggestions in this article, curated and honed after multiple trips to Mexico City with my own kids you’ll be sure to hit it just right and have amazing experiences the whole family will remember forever.
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Mexico City explorer articles
⭐️ 3 day itinerary for Mexico City | ⭐️ 5 day itinerary for Mexico City | ⭐️ Mexico City for the kids | ⭐️ Exploring the Bosque de Chapultepec | ⭐️ Taking a day trip to the canals of Xochimilco
Is Mexico City safe?
✅ This is a question I get asked regularly and although I’ve never ever felt unsafe in Mexico City, whether there with my kids, alone or groups of friends, I do understand why people ask. You need to be sure before you take your babies.
✅ The main tourist areas—Centro Historico, Roma Norte, Polanco, Condesa and Coyoacán—are all safe for visitors. You’ll see a good mix of tourists and local families enjoying life and all Mexico City has to offer.
❌ There are pickpockets in Mexico City, as in any big city. Be smart; don’t take your eyes off your possessions.
❌ Earthquakes are a reality of life in Mexico City but they’re by no means common. If there is an earthquake an alarm will sound. All hotels in Mexico City are required to be able to cope with earthquakes.
🌬 Air quality in Mexico City can be a problem. Some people do suffer with itchy eyes and dry throats due to poor air quality. The end of the year (Sept – Dec) has more clear days as the rains have cleared out much of the pollution. If you’re just visiting for a few days it won’t be a problem.
Where to stay in Mexico City with kids
My recommendation when deciding where to stay in Mexico City is to think about what you plan on doing and figure it out from there (remember, I told you, planning is your friend for this city).
This article is split up by area and for each area I offer great hotel recommendations below. My top recommendations for hotels in Mexico City are:
🏨 In the Centro Historico – Gran Hotel: this is one of the most magnificently beautiful hotels in Mexico City (see photo above) & it’s also extremely kid friendly so if you can, I highly recommend staying in this perfectly located, gorgeous historic hotel that offers views over zocalo, the cathedral and National Palace.
🏨 In Coyoacán – Metzli Casa Boutique & Spa: just 300 m from the Casa Azul, this gorgeous hotel offers spacious rooms, and a garden where everyone can relax after a busy day exploring.
🏨 In Polanco – Camino Royal, Polanco: located in the heart of one of CDMX’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, this hotel is extremely well priced for the facilities it offers and its great location by the Anthropology Museum. Enjoy spacious luxury in the hotel’s family rooms, garden, outdoor pool and numerous restaurant offerings for when the kids are too tired to go out to eat. The breakfast buffet gets great reviews too.
→ You can also use my helpful interactive hotel finder maps to figure out where you want to stay in Centro Historico, Coyoacan, Polanco, Condesa and Roma Norte.
Feeding the kids in Mexico City
Kids are welcome everywhere in Mexico so decide where you want to eat and take them along! My kids are huge fans of Mexican food and street food in particular so we just look around, see where everyone else is eating and head there.
🌮 You can always ask for tacos without toppings so your kids are just eating meat and tortillas. And remember that in Mexico City, a quesadilla doesn’t have to have cheese in it so be sure to confirm the cheese when ordering one!
🍕 If your kids aren’t into tacos then there are plenty of fast food options that they’ll recognise including burgers & pizza. VIPS is also a decent option for feeding kids.
🧊 Don’t drink tap water anywhere but ice is fine as are salads & juices. Because not even locals drink the tap water nothing is ever made or washed with tap water.
🫗If you’re given a glass of water in a restaurant you can drink it as it will be from a garafon.
Getting around Mexico City with kids
Public transport in Mexico City
🚆 The metro is pretty good in Mexico City. There are women and children only carriages, which are great for safety but, of course, men can’t travel in them. Apart from rush hour this is a good and cheap way to get around the city. Buses are cheap but are often extremely crowded and can be a very slow way of getting around Mexico City.
Uber in Mexico City
🚖 Uber & Didi both run in Mexico City and both work just great. In my opinion they are a better option than regular cabs as they don’t require cash or a knowledge of the city. Who enjoys haggling for a ride when they don’t know the distance or real price? Not me. Download Uber or Didi and save yourself the hassle of cabs.
✈️ Use Uber to order a ride from the airport. It’s permitted and super hassle free. Your app will tell you where to wait for your driver.
Best things to do in Mexico City with kids
Mexico City is enormous. It’s one of the biggest cities in the world. This, as I’ve said above, means you really need to plan your trip well (kinda like when you go to Disney World, I imagine!). My top travel planning tip for visiting Mexico City with the kids is to explore area by area rather than exhausting the family by flitting all over the place.
In this section you’ll find that I’ve split the activities first by area:
Centro Historico – the old city centre. This is a lively, bustling area full of culture, history & shopping opportunities. You’ll want to hold tight the little kids’ hands here for sure.
Coyoacán – this is one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods. Head here for a slower pace, for excellent museums and great food.
Bosque de Chapultepec – not only is this the biggest park in Mexico, it’s also one of the biggest urban parks in the world and it’s a magnificent place to explore no matter how young or old you are. Think world class museums, playgrounds, boating ponds and more.
Other – of course there’s more, it’s Mexico City.
Day trips – most people coming to the city will want to see at least the Pyramids of the Sun & Moon – but there’s plenty more to do & see too.
Under each area of the city, you’ll find recommendations of where to stay, what to do and how long you need to really explore.
Centro Historico
MexicoCassie recommended hotels
🏨 Gran Hotel – this is one of the most magnificently beautiful hotels in Mexico City & it’s also extremely kid friendly so if you can, I highly recommend staying in this perfectly located, gorgeous historic hotel that offers views over zocalo, the cathedral and National Palace.
🏨 Casa de la Luz Hotel Boutique – if staying in a family-friendly boutique hotel surrounded by architecture from the 1500s excites you like it does me, then this is the hotel for you. Breakfast is included in the price and the staff are famously extremely friendly here.
How many days do you need?
You need between 1 – 3 days to really explore the Centro Historico. With just 1 day you can get a feel for the area, marvel at the huge buildings, visit the Templo Mayor site, and maybe get up to the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
What to see in Centro Historico
Zocalo
➡️ Begin on the enormous Zocalo (main plaza). If you’re lucky there might even be something going on here. In my experience taking a walking tour of the centro historico is a great way to get the lay of the land.
Museo Templo Mayor – Right downtown by the Zocalo is this fabulous museum dedicated to the main temple of the Mexica people. Kids will love walking through the ancient ruins of Tenochtitlan in the heart of Mexico City, the temple dedicated to Tlaloc (god of rain) and Huitzilopochtli (solar god of war) before entering the museum. Note: this is much more manageable than the Anthropology Museum for smaller kids.
Did you know that this temple lay forgotten for hundreds of years? Construction of the temple began after 1325 and was destroyed in 1521 by the Spanish. The temple reached around 70m high by the time it was finished.
→ Book your tickets now to ensure you don’t miss out!
➕ Also by the Zocalo are: the Metropolitan Cathedral (anyone ever known a kid who cared about a cathedral?); the Palacio Nacional, which is good for any family that enjoys Diego Rivera’s incredible murals; the Jose Luís Cuevas Museum, & Ex-Teresa Arte Actual, which is a brilliantly weird art gallery in an old church. The fun thing about this is that the building has subsided to the point of being really slanted.
⭐️ Treat the family to a drink on the terrace of the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México if you’re not staying here. The views are great and the hotel itself is an absolute marvel.
➡️ Once you’re finished exploring Zocalo, walk to the Alameda area via Ave. Francisco I. Madera. Along here you’ll find both shops & interesting (lesser known) museums and galleries that older kids in particular might enjoy.
Museo de Estanquillo has some fabulous exhibitions and also a lovely roof terrace with a cafe. Palacio de Cultura Banamex is a free exhibition centre that always shows a fascinating side to Mexico’s artistic scene. And on the right hand side is the Instagram famous Casa de los Azulejos, where everyone likes to take a photo.
The Alameda
The Alameda is a large urban park area that’s always full of happy people. In the summer you’ll find kids playing in water fountains here. It is surrounded by museums, some of which will be fabulous for the kids.
Mirador Torre Latinoamericana – Who doesn’t love looking down on stuff? Not only is it a tower you can climb to get a great view from the observation deck but it also has a small museum and a restaurant in the tower. The museum is surprisingly interesting. The views are obviously fabulous and kids love being able to use the giant binoculars. The tower is also open at night.
→ Grab your ticket in advance so you don’t have to wait
Palacio de Bellas Artes – It really depends on your kids as to whether you visit this incredible art gallery or not. If they’re interested in art, they’ll love it. If they’re not, maybe just enjoy gawping at the gorgeous building from outside and decide to visit here when they’re older.
Museo Memoria y Tolerancia – this is a must for bigger kids as it really does a deep dive into conflict points around the world throughout history. It also looks at modern day issues in a very sensitive way and doesn’t shy away from discussing problems in Mexico.
Museo Mural Diego Rivera – this museum houses just one enormous Rivera mural – Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday afternoon in Alameda Park). I think it’s a pretty impressive mural to take the kids to see.
➕ The extremely famous original, churros cafe is here, Churrería El Moro so be sure to stop by for chocolate and churros and Mexico City’s small but vibrant China Town, is just around the corner.
Plaza de la Republica
A final place to visit in Centro Historico is the Plaza de la Republica. This large, pedestrianised plaza is surrounded by cafes but the highlight is, without a doubt, the enormous monument in the centre.
Monumento a la Revolución – every single time we go to Mexico City, my kids demand to visit this imposing monument. A glass elevator takes you to the top this fascinating building for gorgeous views of the city. I recommend going at the end of the day for really spectacular views. If the kids are big enough (over 120cm) you can climb up to the very top for an extra fun view.
➕ Kids will enjoy running around the plaza below and at night there is a water fountain light display.
Coyoacán
Coyoacán is a large borough of Mexico City. Most visitors to the area spend their time in the historic centre, one of Mexico City’s oldest, and most beautiful neighbourhoods. It might not seem, at first glance, that there is a ton here for kids, but we first took our kids here when they were 4 and 6 and they had a blast.
MexicoCassie recommended hotels
🏨 Metzli Casa Boutique & Spa – just 300 m from the Casa Azul, this gorgeous hotel offers spacious rooms, and a garden where everyone can relax after a busy day exploring.
🏨 Tonalli Casa Boutique – this well located, small hotel offers beautiful family-friendly suites, a garden where everyone can relax and comfortable communal area.
🗺 Or, if none of these appeal to you, use my helpful interactive hotel map to find something that does.
How many days do you need in Coyoacán?
Between 1 – 3. Many people just come into this area to see the famous Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo’s house-turned-museum but there’s so much more to this part of town than 1 museum.
What to see
Casa Azul/Museo Frida Kahlo – this is one of the most popular and busiest museums in the city, & if your kids are at all interested in art then this is a museum worth visiting. Truth be told, I was surprised at how much my kids enjoyed it given that we had to follow the crowd and keep moving constantly. The gardens and walls of this blue house are gorgeous and there are great photo opportunities for social media conscious older teens.
It’s really imperative to book your tickets in advance or you’ll risk not getting into this popular museum.
Mercados – kids will enjoy eating tostadas and looking at all the piñatas in the Mercado de Coyoacán. Bazar Artisanal is a great place to go souvenir shopping, and along Ignacio Allende you’ll find both street-markets and shops that will fascinate kids of all ages.
Plaza de Coyoacán (and Plaza Jardin Hidalgo) is a gorgeous plaza surrounded by cafes and stores. There are street performers & street sellers here as well as people going about their daily business.
Museo Anahuacalli – one of my favourite museums in the world. This is a fabulous castle built out of volcanic rock to house Diego Rivera’s impressive pre-hispanic collection.
UNIVERSUM – this hands-on science museum is part of UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonóma de Mexico). Buy tickets online and spend the day following your kids around this extremely cool and educational museum space. Kids can take part in fun lessons and activities and press alllllll the button. Staff speak Spanish and English.
Parks & playgrounds – If you want somewhere for the kids to run and play, try Parque Frida Kahlo or Viveros de Coyoacán.
➕ Leon Trotsky’s House is a small museum worth visiting with older kids; the National Museum of Popular Culture might interest some kids.
Bosque de Chapultepec
Bosque de Chapultepec is the park that blasts all other parks out of the water! It’s the largest urban park in Latin America and it is truly enormous. While bosque actually translates as ‘forest’, this really is, for the most part, an enormous city park. Around 15 million people visit the park each year.
MexicoCassie recommended hotels
🏨 LaiLa Hotel, Reforma – this hotel is well located if you want to explore the Bosque de Chapultepec while still being close to the centro historico. The rooms are clean and modern and it’s located on a road packed with great restaurant options. I often stay here when I’m in the city.
🏨 Camino Royal, Polanco – located in the heart of one of CDMX’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, this hotel is extremely well priced for the facilities it offers and its great location by the Anthropology Museum. Enjoy spacious luxury in the hotel’s family rooms, garden, outdoor pool and numerous restaurant offerings for when the kids are too tired to go out to eat. The breakfast buffet get great reviews too.
How many days do you need to see Bosque de Chapultepec?
This is a nearly impossible question to answer. The park is enormous and is home to numerous museums that on their own could fill days of your time. Every time we go to Mexico City we try to allocate at least a day or 2 to this magnificent park. We will visit at least one museum and spend time walking, playing and eating.
What to see
The park is home to numerous playgrounds, 2 boating lakes, monuments and so much more. You can hire bikes within the park if your kids enjoy cycling. There are paths lined with stalls selling all the tat your kids could imagine as well as delicious Mexican street food.
📖 Read more about the Bosque de Chapultepec in my dedicated article.
Museums in the Bosque de Chapultepec for the kids
Papalote Museo del Niño – this children’s museum will blow your mind. My kids ask to go to Mexico City just to visit this museum. It’s interactive, innovative, fun and incredibly educational. The museum’s tagline is ‘Touch, Play, Learn’ and they don’t shirk from this at all. With displays about the human body, animals, physics and more downstairs and a second floor that is entirely dedicated to hands-on experiments for everyone, from younger children all the way to young teens.There is an IMax on-site and a planetarium too.
Natural History Museum – this is another very hands-on, kid-friendly museum where kids can learn about Mexican natural history and biodiversity.
National Museum of Anthropology – one of the most popular and busiest museums in Mexico City, this is a great option with older kids. My kids were too little when we took them and it wasn’t a roaring success. They were overwhelmed and lost interest pretty quickly.
➡️ Book your tickets now to ensure you don’t miss out!
Castillo de Chapultepec/National History Museum – this castle overlooking the park was an official royal residence and is today a gorgeous museum with amazing views over the city. It probably won’t be any kids’ favourite museum but it is an excellent one if you can persuade them up there!
Other activities in Bosque de Chapultepe
Zoologico de Chapultepec – Of course, many are immediately suspicious of zoos, us included. We talk a great deal about the rights and wrongs of zoos with our kids. I wouldn’t include a zoo on a ‘best of’ list though if I didn’t think it deserved to be there. This zoo is huge, free and while I wouldn’t say it’s perfect for animals, it’s really not bad at all.
Jardin Botanico (Botanical Gardens) – not only is this a lovely place to explore with the kids, there are often activities put on for the kids (in Spanish).
Activity area – here there’s an aerial walkway, a casa de espejos (hall of mirrors), a mirror maze, a merry-go-round and more.
Aztlán Parque Urbano – the new theme park to replace the old Feria de Chapultepec Magico has opened in late 2024. If your kids enjoy rides then they’ll have fun exploring this brand new amusement park.
➕ Just outside the park, on Paseo Reforma (which runs from one corner of the park through the city, is the Angel de Independencía, which is always worth checking out.
Other great things to do in Mexico City
Other parks and playgrounds in Mexico City
Mexico City is just brimming with amazing parks and green spaces to enjoy with your children. Look at the map, zoom in on green spaces and check out whether a park is for you. The list below offers some of the very best we’ve discovered and loved apart from Chapultepec, of course.
🛝 Lincoln Park (Polanco)
🛝 Parque España (Condesa)
🛝 Parque Mexico (Condesa)
🛝 Parque La Mexicana (Lomas de Santa Fe)
🛝 Parque Hundido (Benito Juárez)
🛝 Bosque San Juan de Aragon (near the airport)
Take a boat ride on the canals of Xochimilco
🛶 Xochimilco is a dream destination with kids when you visit Mexico City thanks to its ancient canals, its trrajineras, (colourful long boats) and the chinampas (artificial islands) where you can meet some of the local wildlife, including the native axolotls. Everyone will love taking a peaceful ride through this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We visit the canals with Insolitours who took us to Nativitas, one of the seven piers (embarcaderos). We were told that Nativitas is one of the more traditional and less pushy spots to pick up a tranjinera (Mexican style gondola or punt). It costs 500 pesos for an hour on the canal whether you have one or twenty people.
💰 Be sure to take cash so you can buy snacks from the local salespeople who row up and down the canals selling their wares.
📖 Read more about visiting Xochimilco in my full article
⭐️ MexicoCassie recommended Xochimilco tour – a full day tour of Coyoacán, UNAM murals and Xochimilco.
💀 If you’re travelling with older kids, why not book a tour that includes visiting what some people say is the scariest place in Mexico City, the creepy Isla de las Muñecas (Doll Island). Or one that includes an evening dance & lights performance of La Llorona.
Cuicuilo – archaeological site
This archaeological site is thought to be one of the oldest inhabited areas in the region. It is also the perfect spot to let kids run whilst pretending you’re filling them with culture and a love of history. Currently only a pyramid has been excavated but archaeologists believe there could be an entire city waiting to be discovered. It is thought that a volcano eruption around 2000 years ago caused the inhabitants of Cuicuilco to leave their homes and move to Teotihuacan where their culture was subsumed and ultimately lost to history.
The site is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm and is free to get in.
Take in a taco & lucha libre experience
⭐️ If your kids have expressed an interest in checking out a lucha libre match then this is the best tour for you as it revolves around tacos not booze. The tour includes all you can eat tacos, a free lucha libre mask & entrance to Arena Mexico where you’ll watch matches and learn about the sport from your experienced guides.
See a football (soccer) game in CDMX
If your kids are into soccer/football then they’ll jump at the opportunity to see a proper match in Mexico City’s stadium.
⭐️ MexicoCassie recommended football match experience – enjoy pre-game tacos while you learn about the Mexican soccer scene before heading to the stadium to watch a game (obviously what you see is dependent on the official calendar). The tour includes transport, tacos and the game price.
Day trips from Mexico City
Mexico City is perfectly located for numerous brilliant day trips. Let’s take a look at the most popular.
Pyramids at Teotihuacan
50km north of the city, this area has two truly huge pyramids: Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon. The Pyramide del Sol is the world’s third biggest pyramid.
It’s possible to get yourself to the pyramids but having done so, I highly recommend taking a tour, especially with kids in tow. You’ll save yourselves a lot of stress.
⭐️ MexicoCassie recommended tour to Teotichucan – this half day tour includes pick up from your hotel in CDMX, transport on a comfortable bus and a tour around the pyramid site with an expert guide.
🎈 As an added bonus you can even take a magical hot air balloon ride over the pyramids. We took our kids in a hot air ballon in Querétaro and they thought it was one of the most magical experiences of their little lives.
See the monarch butterfly migration
Every year between Nov – March, the monarch butterflies arrive, en masse, in central Mexico. There are a 4 places you can see them, in Estado de México and in Michoacan. It’s possible to take a day trip from CDMX to experience this wonder for yourself
⭐️ MexicoCassie recommended monarch butterfly day trip – take a full day trip to the town of Valle de Bravo & the Piedra Herrada sanctuary. Remember, if you go out of season, there won’t be anything to se!
📖 Read more about how to see the monarch butterflies in Mexico in my full article
Tolantongo Hot Springs
These incredible mountain hot springs have become something of a sensation over the years and make a great trip for anyone who loves nature.
To be truthful this is an extremely long (but worthwhile) day so is probably only a good idea with older kids or kids who are used to travelling. I haven’t done it with my kids but I definitely would take them now aged 10 and 12. The day starts around 4.30am so you sleep on the bus ensuring you’re ready to explore & swim when you arrive at 7.30am. Take you skimming stuff & and camera and have a blast!
⭐️ MexicoCassie recommended tour to the Tolantongo Hot Springs – leaving CDMX at 4.30am and returning by 6pm, this is a long day but it’s mos t definitely worth it to see the incredible hot springs, cave pools and mountain views.
Visiting Mexico with kids – a directory
🧳 Packing for a trip to Mexico with kids
✈️ Spring break in Mexico with kids
🏖 Best family friendly beaches in Mexico
🏝 Family fun in Playa del Carmen
🏝 Chilling in Cozumel with kids
⭐️ 50+ things to do in Mérida with kids
💦 Best cenotes in Yucatán for kids
12 Comments
Tina · 29/09/2018 at 12:02 am
This is super informative cos I had no idea there’s so much to do for kids.. Mine would go wild here! And, what!? The zoo is free? How? What? Why. We pay exorbitant prices here in Australia to set food inside a zoo.
Cassie · 29/09/2018 at 8:43 am
Yup. Same in the UK hence my extreme excitement! The two zoos in Mérida are free too. And one is excellent. But yes Mexico City ‘s zoo is very impressive.
Lauren · 29/09/2018 at 8:52 am
Although I am not a mother I do feel that tequila was well deserved! High five to you for sharing that travelling with children is not all rainbows & ice cream! Mexico city sounds like so much fun (with or without children) though, to be honest if tequila is involved I think anywhere sounds pretty fun!
Cassie · 29/09/2018 at 8:56 am
Thanks. Yeah I don’t understand why people fib about stuff like this. Travelling with kids is awesome but exhausting at times. And tequila is always a bonus!
Juli · 29/09/2018 at 9:55 am
Love this post! I spent one day in Mexico city a few weeks ago, and we loved walking through Parque Chapultepec. I agree with you tostadas are amazing and the best idea to get a bit to eat. I will have to go back sometime soon and some of these places will be on my list.
Cassie · 29/09/2018 at 10:23 am
Mmm yes tostadas are the best. Glad you had a good time too.
Michelle · 29/09/2018 at 3:46 pm
Lovely post! We do not have kids, but do travel with family with kids. I feel like a will be the future aunt with pita of great recommendations and ideas now! ?
Alina · 29/09/2018 at 4:00 pm
Mexico is on our list for a long time, but we never thought there are so many options for kids in Mexico City too! Thanks for the tips!
Cassie · 29/09/2018 at 4:04 pm
Pleasure. Hope you make it there.
Jerny Destacamento · 03/10/2018 at 3:41 am
Bucketlisted! Not with kids though ?
Cassie · 03/10/2018 at 7:45 am
Hahah. Yeah more tequila opps without them that’s true.
Private Transportation Service Mexico · 26/10/2018 at 11:36 am
Great article! Thank you for all the tips shared here and congratulations on your blog.